The Legendary George A. Romero Passes Away at 77

George A Romero created the modern day zombie. His iconic Dead franchise will forever be recognized as instrumental, influential and generally, extremely enjoyable. Sadly, we’ll never see the man shoot another film, as he’s lost his battle with lung cancer; Romero passed away earlier today in his sleep. He was 77 years old.

According to the LA Times, Romero died while listening to his favorite score, that of 1952’s The Quiet Man. His wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero were at his side when Father Time arrived.

Romero’s Dead franchise consisted of six films, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. Each film stood unique to one another, and unique to the rest of the genre, as Romero loved to focus on key cultural topics, injecting his films with heavy commentary. The result is a series of films that are more intelligent and typically more captivating than similar works.

Romero’s genre credits stretch far beyond the Dead series, let us not forget. Season of the Witch, Marty, The Crazies, Creepshow, Monkey Shines and The Dark Half are also among the stronger films on his ledger.

Romero will greatly missed. Ask anyone in the field who the true modern master of horror is, in regard to shooting genre features, and John Carpenter, Wes Craven and George A. Romero are the names you’re going to hear most. Sadly, we’ve now lost Craven as well as Romero, and it’s a stinger for fans, for families of both, and for the genre as a whole.

Rest in peace, Mr. Romero. Your films were excellent, you were a joy in person, and your creations will remain monumental as time marches on. May you rest in peace, and may the next stage be every bit as great to you as this life was. You’re deserving.